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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Herefordshire => Topic started by: Antony1977 on Tuesday 16 February 21 19:26 GMT (UK)
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My partner has always drawn a blank when they got to her great grandfather Reginald Coley.
I have spent a fair few hours today discovering that Reginalds father was called William Green, Green married Lily Coley in 1924.
For some reason , their child Reginald was given the surname Coley and not Green.
I have found out that Green was an inmate in Hereford Industrial School in 1911.
I’m guessing it is that reason that Reginald was given his mother’s surname and not his dads? Obvs since then everyone had the Coley name and Green name died with William Green
I have requested if there are more details about Green and why he was in the workhouse and if there is any mention of Lily Coley.
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When was Reginald born? Was it before the marriage to William Green?
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Reginald was born 1916
Green and Coley married in 1924.
Is it as simple as being born out of wedlock to totally discontinue using your surname and everyone since then having the Coley surname?
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If anyone is able to find any documentary evidence of green / coley that would be amazing (or even prove I’m actually wrong 😂)
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It's a bit of a gap before the marriage. What proof is there that William was Reginald's father? Did he sign when Reginald's birth was registered? If you don't have Reginald's birth or marriage cert, you could buy copies from the GRO.
Using the free index on the 1939 register, there's a Lily Green & William Green in the Hereford registration district. His dob given as 9 Mar 1887 so not the child that was in the industrial school in 1911.
Industrial School William in 1911
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X7J1-MJH
He would appear to be the William John Green registered sept qtr 1898 Ledbury, illegitimate son of Annie
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X9BY-B7B
Possible baptism 31 March 1887 at Mordiford for your William
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J91C-6QH
1891 census https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:4T8S-ZMM
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At this time, my partners father David, remembers his father (Reginald) talking about Lily coley and William green, and how Reginald was bought up by him nan but for many years Reginald thought lily was actually his sister.
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it's not unusual for grandparents to raise an illegitimate child and for the child to think the mother was a sister.
Possible for Lily in 1901
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X9BB-Q3H
possible marriage of parents
George Coley march qtr 1896 Ledbury vol 6a pg 627 with Sarah Webley on the same page
Lily may have been registered as Annie Elizabeth Coley sept qtr 1896 mmn Weobley
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I had tried to order a copy of reginalds birth certificate. However no results found
I’ve tried
Reg coley
Reginald coley
Reg green
Reginald green
Reg webley
Reginald webley
Reg was born 1916, I clicked on +\- 2 just in case.
Can anyone give an idea of what else I can try?
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Hi
FreeBMD shows Reggie Coley mother’s name Coley registered in Ledbury district June quarter 1916 Volume 6a 767
Jack
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I completely forgot about “Reggie” everyone called him Reginald, the males in the family all have the middle name Reginald !
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Just in case you don't have the full details.
Marriage; William Green to Lilly Coley 22/03/1924 Ledbury Register Office. Register 5, Entry 127.
Source; Herefordshire Family History Society Marriage Index.
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In order to find William Greens parents what would be the best course of action?
Ancestry gives me a hint that the parents are Benjamin and Nancy Coley, but I have no proof?
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I received this from Hereford archives
I’m not entirely sure what you already know about William but this is the index entry to his birth record:-
Births Total Index
Date
Surname
First Names
Fathers First Names
Fathers Occupation
Mothers Maiden Name
Mothers First Names
Area
Register Ref
Registrar
ID
02/06/1898
GREEN
WILLIAM JOHN
GREEN (MOTHER)
ANN MARIA
BOSBURY
LEDBURY 30/493
LEDBURY
403319
I can see he married a Lily Coley who died in 1936 and then he was married again in 1941 to an Edith Lloyd. On the 1939 register he is living in Ledbury listed as a public works contractors labourer. He died in Ledbury in 1965.
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Re the Ancestry hint. The following marriage took place at Hereford Register Office on 01/12/1877.
Benjamin Green to Nancy Hopson. Register 15, Entry 85. Source; Herefordshire Family History Society Marriage Index. Hope this doesn't muddy the waters. Ron.
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there is more than one William Green around. I would suggest you buy the marriage cert for William Green & Lily Coley. As in one of the replies, it was a register office marriage so no other way of getting the details. The cert would confirm name & occupation of William's father.
Lily Coley march qtr 1924 Ledbury vol 6a pg 678 to William Green.
Have you looked at the links I gave you in earlier posts? The info from the record office is the birth record for the William born 1898 who was in the industrial school, illegitimate son of Anne -posted in reply 4.
The William born 1887 son of Benjamin & Nancy is the Mordiford baptism also given in reply 4.
There appears to be at least four children born to the Green/Coley marriage, one of them Eileen A Green reg jun qtr 1929 mmn Coley died the following quarter. There are 2 girls registered at Ledbury and a son registered at Hereford. I won't given the names as they could still be alive.
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Well I have had a copy of the birth cert thru for Reggie
States mother is Lily Coley
Fathers name is blank 😬
Awaiting marriage certificate for Lily coley and William green next.
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How would we try to find out where Lily is buried ? Would be nice to put flowers down?
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I have discovered that Lily Green (nee Coley) went into Burghill asylum 🙁 in 1931 and died there in 1936, a few months after she was admitted, she gave birth to William John Green 13th October 1931. I can’t find anything on him at all on ancestry. Can anyone shed any light on him?
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He could still be living in which case we cannot discuss him, do you have his birth certificate or have you obtained his date of birth elsewhere
Added - I wonder if he was known as John William :-\
John William Green
Birth 13 Oct 1931
Death Jan 1995 Worcester, Hereford and Worcester